


The Language of Flowers is Love

by SpookyMoth



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Language of Flowers, Traditions, Yamanaka Week 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:16:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMoth/pseuds/SpookyMoth
Summary: A flower says more than thousand words.The Yamanaka clan is not only know for its flower shop, but for their outstanding and unique clan techniques. They treasure their friendships and love deeply. And the bush clover blooms in times when they are needed.Let's show all our love to one of most famous clans of Konoha and shower them with love for Yamanaka Week 2021.
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji & Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouza & Nara Shikaku & Yamanaka Inoichi, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Yamanaka Ino & Yamanaka Inoichi, Yamanaka Ino's Mother/Yamanaka Inoichi
Comments: 18
Kudos: 72





	1. Say It Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 of Yamanaka Week: Telepathy
> 
> Song: Nelly Furtado - "Say It Right"

Ino knew it would be difficult to date Sai. Since their first date nothing was like expected. He gave a different twist to each and every of their dates, making her wonder what he prepared the next time. It was nice he was unpredictable and the most important thing: He showed her in so many different ways that she meant a lot to him.

All those years she had been chasing Sasuke and then there was him. A man trying to impress her, learning from her, listening to her and giving his best. He made her sway, stumbling, tripping over her own feet, because he made it easing loving him.

But not today. She noticed that they had both reached a point in their relationship which could go either way and there needed to be made a decision, and this soon.

“I don’t understand this, Ino,” he said with a pleading voice. His eyes showed fear.

She gulped.

It was a well known secret that he was bad with emotions. She had heard too many stories about him by Sakura. His inability to understand the paper-thin line between a joke and an insult, a friendly bickering and a real argument; this was a problem.

At this moment she just wanted to shake him. He was always smiling like this; a fake smile. She wanted to unravel his emotions, show him what it meant to be loved and give love. He just made it so complicated and impossible to read him. Ino had to admit it was frustrating.

She saw that it was pointless to argue with him. He wasn't capable of understanding why she was angry with him.

"Go!" she said this time. "Get out of my place now, Sai!"

He obeyed. He would do everything she wanted him to do. Sai trusted her with those things. He needed to learn to express himself. Again she had failed him.

As the door was closed silently a tear fell down her eye.

It hurt to push him away. He deserved better. It wasn’t his fault.

* * *

As usual she opened the flower shop the next morning before she would head to work with the barrier team later. She put out the vases with flowers, watering the potted plants and greeted various villagers and shop owners she was familiar with.

Last night had been a nightmare. She hadn’t slept and it was a tough job to cover the deep shades under her eyes with makeup. Ino wanted to catch up with Sai later, apologizing to him for throwing him out of her apartment. She had acted unfair, not explaining why she had done this.

At the very beginning of their relationship she had introduced a simple rule: They would talk about their feelings. All the emotions Sai couldn’t quite catch, the fine nuances and the turmoil of emotions he wasn’t familiar with. She started to see under the hard facade he kept upright because of his upbringing.

Ino sometimes used her Mind Transfer jutsu to help him figure out what he couldn’t express with words. Most times it worked.

_But how should she explain to him what she felt, when he made her angry?_

She had tried to be reasonable with him. Explained that it hurt when he said he didn’t know if he wanted children. Ino knew it was an exaggerated reaction to yell at him.

_How could he know after all he had been through?_

Sai just started to learn about the different bonds of friendships, and a relationship with her. She should not put even more pressure on him, because she had this picture perfect image in her mind with a husband and a family. Ino has wanted kids since she was a little girl. It was not just because of the legacy as the clan heir. She wanted to pass down all the love she had experienced throughout her childhood and youth. One day she would sit at her home, watching her kid grow up with Shikamaru’s and Chouji’s; hopefully.

“INO!”

She winced and looked at the voice that had startled her out of her thoughts.

In front of the counter stood Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow watching her closely.

“Oh, hi, Shikamaru. Sorry...can I help you?”

He sighed. “You know...it’s not my kind of thing to involve myself in your private life, but did something happen between you and Sai?”

She gathered the lilies she had cut for a bouquet into her arms and put them aside, propping her arms on the counter, looking at her friend.

He worked too much lately, wore himself out to make time to see Temari and fulfil all his duties inside of Konoha.

“Does Temari want children?”

Immediately a deep blush crept up his face and he grabbed his neck with one hand.

“Why do you ask?” he said, fighting with himself to not look at his feet. Ino chuckled.

“I threw Sai out of my apartment yesterday,” she answered, tracing the lines of the wood of the counter. “I asked him if he wanted to have children one day and he didn’t know.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered bluntly. “We still need to figure out the long distance relationship. If I ask her about this now, she will hunt me down.”

“So you didn’t ask her to marry you yet?” She cocked her head, curiously.

“I have her brother's permission to ask her.”

“See? You have a plan, a future, something you can look forward to. Even Chouji knows that Karui is the woman he wants to marry…”, she stopped her outburst and clenched her fists.

“Stop doing this, Ino,” he tried to soothe her. “Don’t compare your relationship with others. You are better than this. Sai is a good guy. He needs time to adjust. Even I am not used to feeling this way.”

He gave her a small, encouraging smile.

“Why do you always have the answer for everything, Shikamaru?”

“I am a genius.”

Both burst out in laughter.

* * *

In the evening she decided to spare a visit at Sai’s place.

She had a purple hyacinth with her, asking for forgiveness. Ino was sure he would look it up as soon as he was alone or ask her about the meaning of this flower. She had thought about adding a white tulip and making a nice bouquet out of it, but maybe this would have been too much.

Sai had been eager to learn the different meanings of flowers, knowing it was important for her. He was so thoughtful. He got under her skin with all of the nice things he did for her and what did she do? She was impatient and let her frustration take over.

She stood in front of the apartment complex, looking for signs if he was at home.

Insomnia was haunting him. He told her this one night, when he woke up screaming next to her.

She remembered the day. He had been away for weeks on a mission. It was the middle of the night, when a knock on her window woke her up. He had fallen into her arms, exhausted and battered, but he said he wanted to see her, that he had missed her. Sai fell asleep with his head in her lap and while she stroked his hair she had realised something.

She loved him.

Ino bit her lips. This man was all she had hoped for. Why couldn’t she behave reasonably and make everything so much more complicated? She hated herself for being so emotional.  
Her eyes didn’t catch any light in his apartment. Instead Sakura came out of the building, putting some keys into her bag.

“Sakura? What are you doing here?”

“Ino! I haven’t seen you in days.” Sakura smiled at her. “Sai is on a mission for a few days and asked me to take care of his plants.”

Ino’s grip went tighter around the plant pot. _He had asked Sakura?_

“Is everything okay?”

“Sure,” she pressed out between her gritted teeth. “Tell me, Forehead...why did Sai ask you of all people?”

Sakura widened her eyes. “He wasn’t sure if you wanted to see him today. He said you told him to leave your place yesterday.” A hand tenderly touched Ino’s arm. “He looked really upset. Are you two okay?”

“Sure,” she snapped at her and shoved the hyacinth into Sakura’s arms. “Here, take care of this.”

Ino turned on her heels and ran back to her home. She was such an idiot and didn’t want to be seen crying by Sakura.

* * *

The days went by and Ino hoped every day to see Sai walking into the flower shop.

Her longing for him was palpable and kept her restless. She couldn’t eat, sleep or think. It was so hard to keep herself in check.

A guilty conscience was hard to live with, even more when she couldn’t take back her words or actions. She loved Sai. She really loved him with her whole being and she had hurt him.

Ino needed to tell him. The words needed to get out. They were blocking her throat, making it impossible to breath properly.

 _I was so dumb,_ she thought.

Maybe she should ask for a mission to get a clear mind. Being busy inside of Konoha didn’t help her. Every street corner reminded her of him.

* * *

It was seldom she got the chance to work with her old teammates, but a lucky coincidence got her with Shikamaru and Chouji on a simple escort mission for the Fire Daimyo and the Hokage. They had various Anbu covering them.

She was in charge of tracing threats surrounding them.

On their third day it was inevitable they would stay overnight in the forests. Ino placed herself in front of the fire and closed her eyes.

It was harder to concentrate now since she had been up all day, using her jutsu all the time. She thought it would be much easier if she didn’t need that much chakra to sense the lingering dangers.

You could guess a time of peace has settled in, but there were enough missing nin than ever before and various people seeking chaos.

She had scanned all directions and turned a bit to the north as her hair started rising on her arms. Ino heard her comrades move, the small noises of kunai and other ninja weapons being drawn. She jumped up, taking a kunai out herself and clashed it with the katana of her enemy, who had approached her from behind.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chouji expanding his body size and grabbing two shinobi with his hands. The man in front of her was at least two meters tall and he had a broad stature. His muscles on his arms twitched as he withdrew the sword, ready to hit her for real this time.

She made a tiny movement to the side, trying to get out of reach, but the blade brushed her arm, slicing into her arm.

Ino hissed. This was a mistake only a newbie would make. She had miscalculated the length of his katana and the range of his arms movement. But she would take him down.

What escaped her attention was another ninja. As she moved to the right side, to lung forward and bury the kunai between the ribs of her enemy, she felt a pain on her side.

This time the pain was unbearable. The blade slit open her right side.

Out of balance she made her way to the ground.

She didn’t feel when somebody turned her around and all the noises were muffled as they reached her ears.

_Sai._

Darkness hugged her and took the pain away.

* * *

Opening her eyes was so difficult, but there was this irritating noise that disrupted her peaceful slumber.

She blinked, once, twice, the brightness of the room blinding her. Her head ached a lot and she felt so dizzy. Sighing she moved her hand, noticing a sharp pain. Cautiously she looked at the arm, seeing a bandage from her wrist up to her upper arm.

There was this scraping noise again that had woken her.

As she realised what it was her head snapped to the over her right side, causing more pain. She groaned and touched with her other hand why it hurt so much, and her fingertips met another bandage.

The last thing she remembered was her fight on that mission. Seemed she had caught a serious injury. That explained why she was lying in the hospital and Sai sitting at her bed, sketching something in his book.

He stopped as she had made a noise herself.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said with a shivering voice. “You are awake.”

“Sai,” she answered with a croaking voice, her throat so dry it was hard to speak.

He saw her struggle and filled a glass with water. Without asking questions he helped her to drink, supporting her back.

As she finished drinking a few sips, she leaned back at the pillow, exhaling deeply. Whatever had happened to her, she had taken quite a hit. Her whole right side felt like burning with fire, itching and stabbing her.

“Why are you here?”

“You are hurt. Should I go?”

She shook her head, tears making their way down her cheeks.

“I am so sorry, Sai,” she sobs, trying to get control over her emotions. “I didn’t want to hurt you or worse put pressure on you. It’s okay if you don’t know yet if you want children.”

“I want,” he answered and smiled at her. One of the raw, real smiles, that made him look so content and glowing from the inside.

“But you didn’t know a few weeks ago.”

He extended his hand, hardly touching hers, but squeezing it with such tenderness, she cries even more.

“I thought about it. And I’ve read a lot,” he explained. “I didn’t know why you were upset the last time, but I know now.”

Her lower lip trembled as he started to caress the back of her hand with his thumb.

“When you were calling me, I was worried about you, Ino. You were outnumbered and luckily we were near. You had already lost so much blood.”

“Calling you?” She didn’t know what he meant. She hadn’t contacted him.

“I heard you calling my name in my mind,” he answers. “I thought you were calling for help.”

Ino widened her eyes and clasped her other hand over her mouth.

“I did not call you, Sai.”

She didn’t know what it meant. She never had used her jutsu unknowingly, but somehow she had contacted Sai. It had saved her life.

“It was your voice. I would recognize it every time.”

“Come nearer. I have to tell you something.”

Even if it hurts, she put her arms around him, holding him close after being separated for so long - too long - was all that mattered now.

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear, feeling his mouth on her cheek form into a broad smile.


	2. Forget-me-nots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Yamanaka Week: Flowers

His brush silently moves over the sheet of paper in front of him as he adds another shade of red to the picture he is currently painting.

The night has proceeded forward and it is long past midnight.

He takes back the brush, puts it into the glass with water and grabs another brush for the finer details. Dunking the tip into the prepared black ink, giving the rose thin outlines. He squints his eyes, cocking his head for another angle.

 _That looks good enough_ , he decides and just adds another line before he also puts this brush into the water.

The clock strikes three as he spared a glance. He stretches his arms over his head, to get rid of the tension between his shoulders.

After hours he has finished the last painting.

For weeks he has sneaked out of the bedroom, leaving his sleeping wife behind so he can surprise her with a special gift for their wedding anniversary.

All he needs to do now is wait for the colours to dry and then bind the pictures together in one book. He has thought about this for a long time.

In two days they are married ten years and he has wanted to give Ino something that would last longer than the usual flowers and other small gifts he got her.

Sai is so grateful for his life. The life they have built together. Every morning he has his family gathered for breakfast, watching Ino making his favourite dish, while Inojin tells him about his friends and missions. He is blessed with his family, his friends and all the love he has experienced throughout all the last years.

He leaves his table, walking to the door, looking back for one last time, before he closes it.

* * *

He is stuck in a meeting the whole day, and watches how Naruto’s wrinkle on his forehead grows deeper and deeper. Shikamaru has just re-entered the room, smelling of cigarettes - he should really stop smoking - while Kiba stands up and walks in front of the table, talking about the new security system they want to implement in the next few weeks.

“So you say we need a whole month?” Naruto interrupts Kiba.

“Yes, Naruto,” Kiba says and passes around the sheet of paper with all the information. “We need a counter check by you, the Barrier Team and Shikamaru. But until now everyone agrees it will work better for the protection of Konoha.”

“Okay, thanks, Kiba,” Shikamaru says and looks over the papers. “Do you and Ino have time tomorrow?”

Sai shakes his head. “We are busy.”

“Huh?”

He sees that his friend raises an eyebrow and also Naruto looks into his direction, grinning broadly like a cat. Kiba leaves the room with a short goodbye, Akamaru tailing him. That dog must be ancient Sai suggests. He has grown really old and moves a lot slower.

“Sai has plans,” the Hokage says with a smirk and wiggles his eyebrows.

“It’s our anniversary. We are married for ten years tomorrow.”

“Then we will postpone the meeting. I don’t want Ino to be angry at me,” Shikamaru answers defeatedly. “I don’t need another woman who is mad at me.”

“What did you do to Temari this time?”

“I didn’t do anything particular. I just forgot that Kankuro is visiting us and therefore she wanted to prepare steaks for him...and maybe I ate them a day before he arrived.”

As Naruto laughs, Sai joins him. Shikamaru just sighs and puts a hand on his neck.

* * *

He is greeted by Inojin as he drops by at the flower shop. His son gives a large bouquet with red roses and white lilies to an elderly woman, wishing her a nice day. Sai smiles at the sight of him, realising again that he has grown again.

 _When did he get so big?_ he thinks as Inojin closes the door behind the woman, flipping the sign from _Open_ to _Closed_.

“Do you need help, Inojin? And where is your mum?”

“She was called by Morino Ibiki,” his son says and shrugs as he lifts a vase with pink carnations to put them back into the cooling. “She said it will be late and you should cook.”

That was odd. He has checked twice if there was an emergency before he left his work to head home. For once he was early so he could have a nice dinner with his whole family and finish his gift.

Inojin takes another vase with colourful tulips and Sai joins carrying a vase filled with white chrysanthemum to put them into the back of the flower shop.

“Do you want something special for today’s dinner? I could make takoyaki.”

“That would be great, dad!” he exclaims with excitement.

“Then let’s finish here and I will make you a lot of takoyaki.”

* * *

After dinner Inojin is gone to meet with Chocho and Shikadai and Sai doesn’t mind.

He has a plan of his own, hoping to finish the gift for his wife before she arrives. He has called one of his colleagues, telling him that they needed Ino for an interrogation of some sorts, and since Sai knows how long that can take he takes a gamble.

He carefully looks at all the drawings of flowers he has made and traces their lines, looking for irregularities. This gift should be perfect, showing Ino how thankful he is for living with her.

Never he once would have thought about the future. He was a mere tool for Konoha, for Root and Danzo had full control over him, using him for his benefit. And that was how Sai thought he would die: As a tool without emotions, protecting his village.

His last bit of emotion, the feeling of a bond died with Shin. Until he rediscovered this with Sakura and Naruto. They make him craving for something else.

The things he has found with Ino and Inojin. He still protects his village, but for the sole purpose of his own will. He can quit any time, if he wants. And maybe one day he will when he sees how his son builds his own future.

A soft knock on the door, takes him back to reality.

“Sai?” his wife asks on the other side. “Are you inside?”

Swiftly he closes the book he has made and walks to the door, opening it.

“Evening,” he greets her and gives her a genuine smile. “How was your day?”

“Awfully long,” she answers with a roll of her eyes. “Where’s Inojin?”

“Wanted to do something with Shikadai and Chocho. They are at Chouji’s and he stays overnight.”

She crosses her arms and looks at him questioningly. “So we are all alone?”

“Yes, beautiful.”

That’s all she needs and throws her hands around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

“I have an idea,” she says quietly and her hands wander down his back, resting on his bum. “Maybe we can discuss this in our bedroom.”

He does not need more words and takes her in his arms, throwing her over his shoulder.

“Sai!”

He chuckles as he hears her playful outrage and carries her to their bed.

* * *

He wakes up in the middle of the night, Ino is cuddled to his chest. She is sound asleep and looks so beautiful with her hair draped around her face. He is so moved that tears gather in his eyes. He doesn’t know if he deserves to be loved by her.

She would call him stupid for thinking this way, assuring him he deserves to be loved like everyone else. But yet he is overwhelmed. He doesn’t want to wake her and at the same see into her eyes, deep into her soul, knowing he isn’t alone any longer.

Ino suddenly opens her eyes. She extends her hands, her fingertips touching the tears that haven’t come out yet.

“What is it, Sai? Did you have a nightmare?”

He grabs her hand, marvelling her palm cupping his cheek.

“Go back to sleep. It’s nothing.”

She kisses his collarbone. “Talk to me. I can’t handle to see you cry.”

“I am just happy.”

As her mouth curves into a smile he wants to hug her tightly, not let her go ever again. He kisses her forehead gently.

“I want to show you something.”

She has the blanket wrapped around her as he comes back to the room. The lamp on the bedside table is switched on. He places himself on the edge of the bed and she scoots over to him, her head on his shoulder, an arm around his waist.

“I made this,” he announces. “For you.”

Ino takes it into her hand. She follows the line of the Kanji for family.

“Open it,” Sai encourages her, as she puts some space between them crossing her legs.

With an affectionate touch, she opens the cover of the book.

“Happy 10th Anniversary,” she breathes the words he has written on the first page.

He watches her as she sees the first flower he has drawn.

_Forget-me-nots. True love. Don't forget me._

“You rescued me back then in the Land of Silence. I have forgotten myself and you made me remember.”

The next page shows an aster.

A symbol for the love and daintiness he felt for her. Also a talisman of love, the unshakeable trust she has given him.

He sees how she swallows hard and her hand lingers over the painting, unsure if she could touch it. Sai puts an arm around her shoulder.

The following pages show the paths of their life.

Orange blossoms, for good fortune and luck in a marriage.

A calla lily for her magnificence and beauty.

Red and yellow roses for the joy and happiness in their family.

The last page is the flower he has drawn first and the tears start to fall out of her eyes. She buries her head at the crook of his neck.

“Thank you,” she whispers, barely audible between her sobs.

“All for you, my beautiful.”

He pulls her close to his heart, stroking her hair as she asks him about all the flowers and why he had chosen them. She listens closely like she always does, what has rescued him from the darkness in his heart. Hearing her voice and inhaling her scent, snuggled together in their home, in their bed was all he needed.

It is the bush clover. The symbol of her clan. All she has given him, when he had nothing else to offer to her.

Sai knows he is a lucky fellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used this list for the meanings of the flowers: [Plant symbolism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_symbolism)
> 
> You can also look up the flowers the woman in the flower shop bought and the ones I let Inojin and Sai carry around. 😉


	3. Rainbow Colours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 of Yamanaka Week: Parenting / Arts & Crafts / Legacy

Many would think his father had forced him to learn his jutsu instead of the Yamanaka's mind reading techniques, and if someone ever would ask him - even as he didn't care about that gossip - he would tell them the truth: Inojin had asked Sai to teach him using brush and ink.

He was around five years old, when he learned kneading chakra. It was one of those days when his mother and his two uncles met with their children in tow. They were in the Nara forest and after feeding the deer Shikamaru suggested it was time their kids should learn the basics.

He was the first to use chakra properly. His control was outstanding and took him far ahead of Shikadai and Chocho. And his mother couldn't have been more proud, but then he failed with the Shintenshin no Jutsu.

Hours, days, weeks and finally months went by but he couldn't perform it properly.

He hated this feeling of being useless. He was part of the next Ino-Shika-Cho generation. His jutsu was vital for all the combined attacks. Inojin was devastated.

He watched his friends, his teammates perform their signature jutsu and he? He just could watch them. The failure he was.

"I hate this," he mumbled sadly when they went to Thunder Burger after their training.

Soon they would graduate from the academy and put into a three man cell, a Jounin supervising them. Inojin had to do something or he would be more of a burden than before. 

"Don't beat yourself up, Inojin. You do your best," Chocho said and bit into her third burger.

"I can't use the Yamanaka clan jutsu! We can't work as a team if I am not able to use those techniques!"

"Chocho is right," Shikadai agreed. "If this doesn't work, think about another solution."

"Yeah, I should not burden you with my shitty abilities," he answered, lifting himself from the chair. "I am going home."

He was out of the restaurant ignoring his teammate's calls.

At home he threw his shoes frustrated into the next corner. His bag followed. He shuffled in the direction of his room, when he heard his mother and father talk.

"He can't use the Mind Transfer Technique," Ino said and he could hear that his mother sounded somehow disappointed.

"Don't worry," his father answered. "He will figure it out eventually."

"Maybe you should show him your jutsu."

"I don't want to force him."

Inojin heard his parents moving and decided to sneak into his room. He didn't want to get caught eavesdropping.

When he threw himself on his bed his head was flooded with thoughts.

Even his parents thought he wasn't good enough.

_How should he ever learn using his clan's jutsu for the benefit of his team?_

* * *

"Focus, Inojin!" Temari shouted as she used her fan to create more wind that should distract them.

He was breathing heavily and even Shikadai was struggling to stand upright.

"Can't we have a break?" Chocho asked and dropped to the ground. "I am hungry."

His aunt put her fan down, leaning on it with her arm.

"Okay, ten minutes. Drink water and eat something."

He had thought about his parent's conversation and he needed some input from someone he trusted. He could have asked his uncles, but since Temari was present, he decided to ask her.

"Aunt?"

Temari was sitting on a rock, sipping her water.

"What is it, Inojin?"

"I am in need of an advice." She raised her eyebrows and looked at him questioningly. "About what I should do. I can't use the Yamanaka techniques. And I am no use for our team."

"Don't worry about that. You will get the hang of it. And you can use kenjutsu."

He shook his head. "I want to be useful now. All I do is stand in the way. But I have an idea. And maybe you could help me."

"Sure, kiddo. So tell me, what do you have in mind?"

Later that day he seeked his father at work.

He had planned all the details with Temari and she would talk with his uncles. Inojin was sure his plan would work if Sai agreed to help him. And he needed his help urgently since he was the only one he knew who used ink infused with chakra.

He was nervous when he knocked on the office door his hand was shaking.

_You can do this._

He was called inside the room. Sai was sitting on his desk, scribbling something down.

"Hey, dad. Are you busy?"

His father smiled at him. "I always have time for you, my sunshine."

"I want to learn your jutsu."

* * *

He had been painting since he was a kid, so using ink and brush was nothing new for him. He just needed to learn adding chakra to the paint. Inojin wanted to keep this a secret as long as possible. First he wanted to get the hang of this jutsu and then introduce it to the training routine.

Sai showed him in small steps what he did with the ink to make his drawings alive.

"You need to prepare your ink beforehand. I infuse it with a bit of my chakra so it resonates to it when I am drawing pictures," he explained and formed a hand seal to gather chakra. "The container for the ink has special abilities to store chakra and hide it. When you are on a mission you don't want the enemy to recognize you because of your stored chakra."

Inojin nodded as his father put the container with the ink on the ground between them.

"I will now prepare the ink. It is important you don't use too much chakra."

He saw how the surface of the dark liquid reacted to his father's finger as he dunked it inside, making small ripples and glowing in a blue light.

"What happens if you use more chakra than needed?" he asked.

Instead of answering Sai demonstrated it. The ink lost its colour completely and then splashed out of the container.

"It becomes useless because it heats up the ink. And it loses all his colour."

It was really difficult as Inojin soon found out. He did as his father had told him, small bowls filled with ink stood in front of him and Inojin infused his chakra to all of them. The first attempt left him covered in black ink all over his face. And it didn't go better with the rest of the bowls.

"It doesn't work," he complained as he reached the last one.

"You have to believe in yourself," Sai said and stopped his hand. "If you don't trust your own abilities it doesn't work."

Inojin swallowed hard. He wasn't good at this. He couldn't trust himself. He had failed with one technique already.

_What if he wasn't cut out to be a ninja?_

This time the ink didn't lose its colour.

* * *

Sai joined his wife on the sofa that evening where she was buried under a massive blanket. She was watching a film and ate some ice cream. He sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"How was training with our son?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the screen where the man and the woman were sharing a passionate kiss.

"He is fast with learning," he said with warmth in his voice. "Today he could produce a small bird out of ink. It moved."

Ino hummed as he started to massage her neck and shoulders.

"So it's easier for him?"

"I think he doesn't feel all the pressure he does with your jutsu. He has loved drawing since he was a kid. He is used to it."

Ino moaned slightly as his fingers dug deeper into her tensed shoulder muscles.

"That sounds good." His wife leaned forwards as he started to pepper her neck with kisses. "He will do great."

"As always."

* * *

He was standing on the training grounds, small birds dancing around his head for quite a while now. Inojin was smiling and turned around, his hands touching one ink bird after another to make them disappear. Sai stood not that far away, with crossed arms, looking content at his son.

"This looks great, Inojin. You're only doing this a month now and you are better than me learning to control your ink beasts."

The last bird disappeared as he touched it.

"Dad, do I have to use black ink?"

Sai stepped closer to him.

"Why do you ask?"

"I like colours. This is so outdated. I want animals in all colours. A whole rainbow."

"We can buy you new ink on our way home."

His hands were full with different colours as he walked to the counter where his father was waiting with scrolls and brushes. He couldn't decide which colour he should use, so he had taken all of them.

Sai watched his son buzzing with happiness as he came back with the colours. He had looked for a scroll with a brush and ink container that Inojin could use in battle. All the scrolls he possessed were old and shabby.

The sakesman typed the price into the cash register and announced the price. Inojin seemed shocked it was this expensive, but before his son pulled out his purse, Sai handed the man the money.

"Dad, you don't have to pay. I can buy it on my own."

"This is my gift for you."

* * *

The next morning Inojin decided to surprise his team with his new technique.

He was the first to arrive on the training grounds and when Chocho and Shikadai joined him, he was sitting in the grass, surrounded by his birds again.

"They are beautiful!" Chocho exclaimed and clasped her hands together.

"So this you were doing when you hadn't time to play video games," Shikadai noted and chuckled.

"It's the Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique. My father's jutsu."

They talked about how to combine this jutsu to their Ino-Shika-Cho formations until Karui arrived for their training.

The future was in safe hands and he would follow his own legacy.


	4. Eulogy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 of Yamanaka Week: Childhood / Picnic

Inoichi knew he would never forget the day his daughter was born.

Just hours after he had held Shikaku’s little boy in his arms, the nurse handed him the bundle with the most precious thing in the world: Ino.

His wife was looking at him, tired and covered in sweat, almost passing out since she had been in labour for over ten hours. He put the blanket that covered his daughter's face aside and saw into her magnificent blue eyes, looking at him, tears gathered in his own.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered and marvelled at the smooth skin of her tiny face. “And so are you.”

He leaned down to his wife to kiss her on the forehead. She smiled at him, exhaustion all over her face.

“I am looking awful right now,” his wife said, moving slightly and moaning because of pain.

“You don’t,” he answered, his eyes again locked at his daughters. “You are the most gorgeous woman.”

“Shikaku would disagree,” she chuckled.

“He doesn’t know what he is speaking about.”

This time she didn’t answer because she was already asleep.

“Seems your mum is tired. But that is good, Ino. We have some serious business to talk about.”

His daughter wrinkled her face as if she understood him.

He would fight and die for his child.

* * *

Shikaku was late for their weekly appointment in their favourite izakaya.

It had been almost three months till their last meeting. Both of them were so busy with their families, trying to find enough time for their wives and kids, sleep-deprived and covered in dirty laundry when they weren’t on missions.

He had thought Chouza was exaggerating when he told his friends they are not prepared for what difficulties would follow after the birth of their children. Inoichi thought he had downplayed the consequences.

The love and care he felt for his daughter couldn’t be measured in any scale and also not the lack of sleep he had to tackle. His wife was better than him in organising the day around Ino. She made everything work. She must be some sort of a goddess of time. He couldn’t explain it otherwise.

When the door of the bar burst open and Shikaku entered with a wide grin on his face Inoichi was sure he had a clue why his friend was late. He shared a look with Chouza who shook his head.

He filled a sake bowl for Shikaku and he poured it down immediately.

“Isn’t it a wonderful day?” he said cheerfully and filled another cup.

“It is disgusting how you need to rub it in our faces that you got laid,” Inoichi murmured under his breath.

Shikaku grinned wider. “I just did what a good husband would do with his wife.” He winked in Inoichi’s direction. Chouza made some choking noises.

“So how is your wife and your daughter?” Shikaku teased him.

“They are doing fine. And for the record: You are not the only one who knows how to please his woman.”

“Stop it, both of you,” Chouza interfered and ordered more sake. “Let’s talk about other things or else I have to vomit.”

Inoichi and Shikaku laughed out loud, but dropped the topic and soon they were back to remembering the old days, when they had caused chaos in the academy.

* * *

He watched Ino growing up with a smile on her face and she was always surrounded by a bunch of friends.

One day, when he was working at the flower shop Ino visited him with one of her friends. He had seen this girl before, because it was easy to notice her rose coloured hair. She seemed very shy and only came into the shop, when Ino dragged her inside.

“This is Sakura, tou-chan,” she introduced her friend.

“Hi, Sakura. I am Inoichi. Nice to meet you.”

He took a pink tulip and gave it to her. Ino grinned broadly because she knew the meaning of that flower.

“Thank you, Inoichi-sama,” the girl said softly.

“Come on, Sakura! I wanted to show you to tie bouquets!”

As he saw the other girl smile, Inoichi was proud how his daughter treated her friends. She would grow into a wonderful woman.

* * *

“Boys are dumb!” Ino said dramatically as she entered the kitchen.

It was dinner time and it was one of those rare occasions he was home at the same time as his daughter.

He was so busy after the death of the Third Hokage. The security measures were tightened and without a leader, all the burden laid on Shikaku’s shoulders. Being a genius made it impossible to shove all the responsibilities aside. The Konoha Council was impatient and wanted to name a new Hokage. Shimura Danzō waited in the shadows to finally be named Hokage and Inoichi was as sceptical as his friend.

“Not all boys are dumb, my little daisy,” his wife said and put the bowls with rice and meat on the table. “Or do you think the same about your dad?”

She winked in Inoichi’s direction. He had to hide a grin behind his glass.

“I talked about boys, not men,” Ino huffed. She put some food on her plate and passed the bowl to him.

“Do you mean a boy in particular?” Inoichi asked.

He feared the day his girl would bring home a boyfriend. Inoichi wasn’t ready for whatever his fate had prepared for him. Thinking about how he has been with girls made him sweat. She should find a good guy and he was worried whoever was her man of choice would treat her badly.

“Shikamaru,” she stated and took a sip of her drink. “And Chouji.”

He sighed inwardly. This wasn’t serious. Just the usual ramble about her teammates.

“I am sure they are not as worse as you make it sound,” his wife said as she sat down with them.

“Why can’t they be cool?” Ino asked rhetorically. “Shikamaru just wants to take the easy way and Chouji munches on his potato chips all day. Asuma-sensei does nothing about it!”

Inoichi thought he should be grateful that Asuma took care of the kids. Every other Jounin would have fled immediately.

One day she would treasure the Ino-Shika-Cho bond like he did. He had found his best friends and most reliable companions at the same time.

“I am sure -”

“Sasuke is cool,” Ino interrupted him.

The food took the wrong pipe and he choked.

“Uchiha?” he asked after his wife patted him on the back.

“Of course. There are just a few cool guys in Konoha and one day I will marry him.”

Inoichi was sure he would pass out.

* * *

He hadn’t seen his daughter for a few days in a row and he got worried. His wife said she was upset about the things that happened to the Uchiha kid.

Inoichi didn’t know how to help his daughter with a broken heart. He had to keep his friends in check, whose sons were on that mission to follow the Uchiha Sasuke before he reached Orochimaru. Chouji was still in the hospital, while Shikamaru had a psychological trauma.

Sometimes he thought it was so unfair they couldn’t give their children a peaceful future. Instead they used them as weapons, raising them for the next war, that sure was about to come. Their hearts and souls couldn’t handle all the things at such a young age, but they pushed them further, making them harder on the edges, sending them to battles they should not need to fight.

He heard Ino crying in her room one evening when he wanted to go to bed. It made his heart contract painfully.

Softly he knocked on her door, waiting until she called him in.

As she opened it with red rimmed eyes, he just took her into a tight embrace.

“Do you mind making time for your old man tomorrow?” he asked her and put a kiss on the top of her head.

She was so big already, slowly growing into a beautiful woman. He remembered when she just fit into his two hands.

“I work in the flower shop,” she answered, muffled.

“Someone else can take over. We will go on a date.”

“Dad,” she said pouting. “I am not a child anymore. I don’t need you to take care of me.”

_When did she stop to call him tou-chan?_

“Am I not allowed to spoil my only daughter?”

She sighed and returned the tight hug.

“Okay. We go on a date.”

* * *

He had prepared a large basket and carried a backpack with a blanket. Ino had deep shades under her eyes, showing she hadn’t slept well and followed him silently.

Inoichi had decided it was time for a picnic. They were on a field with wildflowers with a lot of red poppies standing out.

They had done this very often when she was a little girl. He had been sitting with his wife on the blanket while Ino sat on the grass, making one flower crown after another for him or braid his hair and put colourful flowers into it. It was a good time, when all of their days were filled with laughter and joy. He wanted to treasure those peaceful moments.

He decided for a spot under a tree, so they would not burn in the blasting afternoon sun.

Ino helped him to set up the food and drinks, still not speaking a word.

Normally his daughter wasn’t like this. She loved to talk and chat with him, making jokes and listened when he told her about his day. He wanted his cheerful daughter back, not that whining mess she had been over the last weeks.

He gave her a can with orange juice. She opened it, but didn’t take a sip and stared into her lap.

“I wanted to talk to you about certain things, Ino.”

She raised her head. “That I should stop crying like a little girl and stop mourning a boy, who doesn’t love me?”

Inoichi shook his head.

“It is not my job to tell you that you are feeling the wrong way. There are no wrong feelings.” He opened himself a beer and took a sip. “It’s about the future. Yours and the clans.”

As she didn’t respond he added: “You know that one day you will be the clan head. And I want to prepare you in the best possible way.”

“But I am already learning all clan jutsu,” she protested.

“It is not about jutsu,” he said and put a cherry tomato in his mouth. “There’s a lot more to it.”

“And why now?” Ino grabbed a tomato herself.

“Because you are ready.”

* * *

When they headed to war Inoichi didn’t like it at all. He did all he could to keep his comrades safe and mostly his own child.

It was what he had feared. The day the Akatsuki attacked Konoha it was a declaration of war. When the Five Kage meeting was over, he knew that this time was the last occasion he would take some drinks with Chouza in his home for a long, long time.

He wasn't scared to die. He had greeted death so many times yet. And he was a shinobi. Dying on a battlefield didn't seem that bad.

When death was just seconds away, he may panicked. But Shikaku was at his side. He wouldn't die alone.

He thought about Ino. Her head crowned with flowers and smiling at him.

He hoped she wouldn't shed that many tears over his grave.

Then the biju bomb hit the headquarters.

* * *

Winter was especially cold this year, and for days snow had been falling down covering whole Konoha with it.

It always had been difficult to find flowers for her father.

Ino snorted at the thought of it. Why Inoichi was born in winter and loved flowers so much he wanted to sell him would always be beyond her understanding. She never had asked her father why he opened the flower shop. She could've asked her mum or Chouza, but she would have loved to hear his voice one more time, telling her stories about his life.

Today was a special day. His birthdays since his death hurt her every time and it wasn't different today. She noticed this twisting feeling in her guts. Breathing was so hard.

She knelt in front of his gravestone, putting the bouquet in front and said a prayer for him.

"Happy Birthday, tou-chan," she greeted him. "It's three years now."

Her hands shoved the snow from the top and uncovered the inscription.

"But I have to tell you something. Do you remember when I told you that I date that boy? His name is Sai if you forgot."

Ino wiped the tears from her eyes that started falling down.

"We are getting married," she choked. "He asked me if I want to be his wife and I said yes." She pulled out a tissue to wipe her face dry. "He is a good man. He is smart and good looking. Maybe he is a bit difficult with his emotions sometimes, but he makes me happy. He treats me the right way."

It got harder to talk. She grabbed both her arms, hugging herself.

"I know he asked mum for permission. Also Shikamaru and Chouji like him a lot." She laughed shortly. "Soon we all will be married. And building our own families."

Her whole body trembled.

"I asked Chouza if he would replace you for the wedding. I hope that's okay."

More snowflakes made its way down to earth getting bigger and thicker with each passing minute. She looked at the sky, searching for a sign, something that would give her an answer.

"I am so sad you aren't here. You will never meet Sai. You won't dance with me on my wedding. And one day -" she stopped because it felt like a lump in her throat "- one day, I will have children of my own. And you won't be there either."

A warm breeze, too warm for this time of the year, swirled around her, tenderly touching her hair.

"Thanks, tou-chan," she whispered. "I won't disappoint you."

Sai was waiting at the entrance of the cemetery. She didn't need to say a word as she hugged him, burying her head at his chest.

Maybe the crack in her heart would never heal, but with a bright future ahead she dared to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pink tulip Inoichi gave Sakura can have the following meanings: "Caring, Good wishes, Friendship, Joyful Occasions, Confidence" 😉


	5. Under Her Spell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 of Yamanaka Week: Supernatural

It is said that supernatural beings only exist in legends. Humans loved mystical and mysterious stories to scare each other at a campfire. Nobody would believe if you told them you are hunting down those creatures.

Normal people explained irregularities with optical illusions, because it wasn’t possible that your neighbour in the next bar had fangs and drank a cocktail containing blood.

That one kid in your school, who was missing a week every month around the full moon? He just had bad health.

Your friend had a black cat, smelled like herbs and sulfur, and met with other people every evening, dressed all in black and scribbled pentagrams all over her notebook? She had this weird gothic phase every teenager had.

And people from the afterlife haunting you, so you couldn’t sleep at night? It’s an old house. The walls were crooked and the heater had to be replaced. It’s nothing to worry about.

But as Ino knew, this was real. This wasn’t a fairy tale, the imagination of an author or an urban myth. The supernatural existed.

The night had fallen with its dark curtain as she finally arrived at the spot she had been summoned by one of the hunters. Since she had been a witch her whole life - at least since she was in middle school - this was just the usual, every day job for her.

She grabbed her thermos and poured coffee inside the mug, waiting inside her car until they would call her to the house.

She had driven all day, because this was a case not many witches could handle. A poltergeist wasn’t unusual, but this was a pair of them and it looked like they had been summoned by another witch.

Sipping on her coffee she made a mental list of the things she needed to locate the conjurer of the ghosts. Sai had been exceptionally nervous on the phone about the difficulties he and his companion Naruto had been facing. Salt and silver didn’t help to keep them at bay. They couldn’t find the source.

Some days she wished she wasn’t born in a family of witches and witchers. She had been a normal girl - or to be more specific, normal for knowing about magic - until her first encounter with a vampire. Knowing something in theory and meeting a blood-sucker for real was quite a shock. Ino had fought fiercely on her own until she had been rescued.

It was Sai, who had been her knight in shining armour and since then she helped him from time to time. She didn’t complain. It was fast money, boosted her reputation and most of all she could do something good.

Her father was already well known in their secret community, which included people of her profession, additionally hunters, werewolves and vampires and every other-worldly entity imaginable. She had to make a name for herself and gradually she had to step out of his shadow. Which also meant she had to choose another place for her work.

The door of the house burst open and four people ran out of it. Naruto’s light hair was easy to notice as Sai’s fair skin. What surprised her were the other two men. She hadn’t seen them in ages and smiled as all of them came near her car.

She emptied her mug and stepped out of it.

“Again good timing, Ino,” Shikamaru greeted her and put a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, leaning on the bonnet. “I wasn’t expecting you thus far from home.”

Chouji gave her a well welcomed bear hug, followed by a nudge from Naruto. Sai nodded in her direction, a small smile in the corner of his lips. She knew he wasn’t the type to touch people and responded the same way.

“I am just doing a favour. And I don’t want my father to pamper me. He still thinks I am his little girl.” She crossed her arms and snorted. “So I am very happy to drive as far away as possible.”

Shikamaru chuckled and took another drag of his cigarette.

“Tell me all the details and I will see how I may help you clueless boys.”

She saw a hint of amusement on Sais' face.

* * *

She had located the witch fifty kilometers north of the small town where the ghosts appeared. Shikamaru and Chouji decided to stay behind, while Sai and Naruto followed her lead. Her pendulum wasn’t able to give her the exact position and she had to rely on her other abilities.

Ino sat inside a pentagram at a parking lot, candles surrounding her and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the flow of the ether. Trying to find a trace of casted spells. Every witch left behind small signs of their magic and she was one of the few, who could find the source of it. It was her family's speciality and made the Yamanaka’s so popular around hunters.

But she was picky with her clients.

Working with the Nara and Akimichi hunter’s was a no-brainer. They had worked together for two centuries and combined their unique skills for the most possible success.

She also did a job for Inuzuka Kiba now and then, sometimes sharing a night in bed with him. She was a girl with needs and he was a good looking guy. They both had agreed that a relationship between them wouldn’t work out and their arrangement could be described best as friends with benefits.

Sai on the other hand was something else. She had paid the debt to him long ago. Ino just was just drawn to him like a moth to the flame.

They bumped into each other so many times, that it could be described as fate and she wasn’t a person to take those things lightly. Her profession had taught her but one thing: fate could not be tricked. It was no accident that he had saved her life. Their destinies were already intertwined and where this was leading she would find out at some point.

“There’s a house in the woods,” she mumbled, seeing the thin green line that showed someone had summoned a ghost not that long ago. “I think it’s in the basement.”

“Good job, Ino!” Naruto exclaimed. “I can’t thank you enough that you always help us.”

“Don’t waste our time talking, Naruto. We need to go,” Sai said and extended his arm to help her in a standing position. “Your car stays behind. I know you shouldn’t drive after this.”

His hand always felt so warm. She would trust him with her life time and again.

* * *

She loved walking through the thick trees of a forest. Here she felt calm and could relax. Listening to the birds singing, the leaves dancing in the wind and the mumble of a small stream. At nighttime, on the other hand, it could be depressing and haunting.

Naruto was leading the way, his flash lamp illuminating the path ahead. Sai had his rifle, filled with silver bullets, ready to shoot werewolves and if necessary scare other ghosts away. She had several magical amulets around her neck and a family bracelet protecting her from harm.

“That’s the house,” she whispered as an old, wooden building came into their view.

“Can you mask our presence?” Sai asked and took out a flash lamp.

She rolled her eyes, wondering shortly, why he asked such profane questions as she saw him grin. He just wanted to tease her a bit.

_Since when did he make jokes?_

Ino decided to give them two talisman, which would make them untraceable for witches and a protection charm for the most common spells. They reached the front door of the house and she felt uneasy. She had recognized that it was too quiet in the forest. Hopefully this witch wasn't as powerful as she thought.

Darkness greeted them. The scent of mold and dust penetrated her nose, mixed with a smell that was so prominent it couldn't be confused with something different. Blood smelled for most people like iron and disgusting.

Ino had visited a lot of crime scenes by now and that they all could smell the blood without a trace of it in one of the rooms meant it must be more than one dead person.

"Fuck."

That was the only appropriate reaction for this. A spell or curse with blood was powerful. She hoped her abilities would suffice. Now she wished they hadn't split their team and her friends would have come with them.

Sai found the staircase that led into the basement. She followed the men underground, the smell of blood getting thicker and more overwhelming. Ino also traced the unmistakable odour of a fire and different herbs. When the sulfur hit her nose, she made them stop.

"I need to go ahead," she demanded. "I have more protection than you. Whoever casted the spell is so mighty that you could get hurt."

"We are used to this, Ino," Sai answered and continued walking.

"Don't worry," Naruto added. "We are professionals."

They should have listened to her.

When they took a final turn in the huge basement they finally found their target. In the middle of the main room stood a man with long, black hair and white skin. His eyes were yellow, snake-like and he laughed madly. A table stood near one wall with various glasses and jars filled with liquids in different colours. Ino saw some of them contained frogs, fish-eyes and other body-parts of animals she didn’t want to think about. This was evil magic at its best and it made her gag. They had stumbled upon one of the most terrific witchers alive.

He stood in the middle of a summoning circle, made of blood. His face was covered with ancient runes, more blood dripping from his clothes. Three bodies laid in a corner, their eyes wide open, a girl with red hair and glasses staring in their direction.

Ino gasped. This was Uzumaki Karin. Naruto's cousin and a powerful witch herself.The witcher was mightier than they had expected.

"Well, well, well," the man hissed. "Finally some company. Hadn't thought you would find me that fast."

"Orochimaru," Naruto growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Just the usual." He turned around and laughed with a high pitched voice. "As you can see I ran out of blood. And since you have a witch I am really delighted to use yours."

He made a fast movement with his hands and Ino prepared a counter-attack. She hadn't thought that Sai would jump in front of her. Whatever Orochimaru had casted, it hit Sai with such force that he was thrown against the next wall and slid down to the ground, unconscious.

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted, shooting with his gun at Orochimaru.

It was foolish to believe he would hit the witcher with this. The bullets fell to the ground, which made Naruto angrier. But Orochimaru held him in place with his powers.

Ino took out a small knife and cut into the palm of her right hand. She dunked her fingers into the blood, and smeared it over her face.

"I summon you, Gaia, goddess and mother of nature and life," she spoke. "Give me guidance and protection."

She felt hotness wandering through her body, the strength of the gods flooding her veins. With her other hand, she held up her amulet, blinding Orochimaru with it. He screamed as he was forced to obey Ino.

She knew it would just last two minutes and they needed the time to make it out of this house as fast as possible. Orochimaru was a name that had to be feared. Even her father was no match for him.

"Naruto! Use the bag with the herbs to trap him. Destroy his summoning circle with salt," she commanded with a voice that didn't belong to her. "And then we burn this place down."

She was grateful as he did as ordered. As soon as he had trapped Orochimaru inside a circle of herbs, Ino felt weaker. She had reached her time limit. With her back, she walked to Sai and tried to grab him, lift him up.

"You brats will regret this!" Orochimaru screamed furious. "You don't mess with me!"

"You better believe it!" Naruto said and threw the different glasses on the table with all the liquids, oils and alcohol to the ground before he lit a log and set the fluids on fire.

Soon the room was filled with fire and smoke.

Naruto lifted Sai on his shoulder, while they hurried out of the house, followed by Orochimaru’s screams.

* * *

She had called Shikamaru when they had found a cheap hotel and booked a room. Naruto hadn't stopped driving for an hour since they had made a run out of the forest. Ino sat in the back seat the whole time, making sure to keep Sai alive.

She had asked him when Naruto had met Orochimaru the first time.

"He is responsible for Sasuke being a vampire," Naruto had told her, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "And when Sakura found out she followed him. Both of them are vampires now."

Ino had swallowed hard. She had known Sakura for a long time and always wondered why she stopped working as a hunter. She had tried to visit her for a few times, but never asked, since she knew that getting killed in action was the common cause of death in this profession.

"We had been a great team. Kakashi showed us everything before his death. He would be ashamed of what she had done."

She knew this bitterness in his voice. Life as a hunter was difficult. Death was waiting around every corner. Shikamaru and Chouji sounded the same if they ever talked about Asuma.

"It's just Sai and me now. Yamato died last year," he continued, ignoring the red traffic lights.

"I didn't know this."

When she had treated the head wound on Sai’s head and showered Naruto had gone outside to get something to eat. She sat at Sai's bed, checking his pulse, hoping he would wake up soon.

Orochimaru wasn't defeated, but the poltergeists were gone. She had to call her father for some help. Ino hated she was now on the hit list of one the most powerful witchers.

Sai whined in his sleep, getting more lively.

"Hush," she whispered, brushing the hair out of his face. "You're safe."

His eyes opened.

"I-Ino."

"Hey."

His look was focused. She grabbed his hand. He squeezed it lightly.

"What happened?" he asked with a groan.

"You tried to protect me, you idiot."

"I would always protect you," he said, a bright smile creeping up his face. "You're precious to me."

Ino felt so relieved he was okay. She leaned nearer to him as he suddenly took her chin in his other hand and kissed her. She let herself guide by the moment as she responded to his kiss, giving a damn about the consequences because it felt so good. She had kissed so many men in her life, but never she had wanted it to continue forever.

Sai eventually let go of her lips and she came to her senses.

"Oh god", she said realising what happened. “T-this is so embarrassing.” She felt her cheeks redden.

"I am sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. This was wrong. I should have stopped." She turned her face away. "But why did you kiss me?"

"I wanted to kiss you for a long time now, beautiful. Since the time I rescued you."

Tears gathered in her eyes. The shock of a near death experience and the exhaustion of using powerful magic taking its toll on her. It was too much for one evening.

"I can't think about this now, Sai."

"You should sleep," he said. “It was a long night.”

Ino nodded as an arm around her waist pulled her at his side into his bed.

"Sai?! What are you doing?"

"You are cold. I can warm you."

She snorted but was too weak to protest. He lifted his blanket so she could fit under it. It took just some readjustment and her head laid on his chest.

She couldn't remember anything afterwards.

* * *

They stayed a few more days in the hotel and every night she slept in Sai's bed, cuddled to him, while they talked about plans for the future. Ino wasn't sure what she should do with Sai's confession about his feelings. She had felt this connection between them for a long time, but was it love or just a flirt like with Kiba?

It was time to part ways again and she felt a pang in her chest, to say goodbye. She didn't know when they would meet again. His life was on the line with each passing day.

_Shouldn't she stay at his side? Enjoying what they could have as long as it lasted?_

"You should go with them," Chouji said as he put her bag into the trunk.

"What do you mean?"

"I see how you look at Sai. You don't want to leave him."

"But it's ridiculous," she answered and sighed. "I am not a hunter. I am a witch."

"Did you ever feel this way with Kiba?"

"How do you?" she asked shocked.

"I told him," Shikamaru said, appearing behind her. "And I agree with him. Why wasting time? You helped him several times, and you're always talking about fate and that stuff. So why don't you find out?"

Sai and Naruto were ready to leave. The decision had to be made now.

"I just said this because you didn't stop talking about Temari."

"He was just worried her brothers would kill her, if they date," Chouji threw in and Shikamaru gave him a playful punch on his arm.

"And I am happy,” Shikamaru said, smiling. “Even if we can't see each other that often, I know there's someone, something that I can return to. It's hope. Hope for a bright, happy future. So go, Ino. Follow your heart."

She exhaled deeply once again, then kissed both of her boys on the cheek, taking her bag out of the trunk.

"Take care of my car, Chouji. And tell my father I won't be home for some time."

She stepped closer to the other car and opened the back door. Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"I come with you," she stated. "You need someone to take care of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched a bunch of series and films with supernatural elements...Buffy, Charmed, Supernatural, Constantine...I could continue forever. 
> 
> And when I saw this prompt I knew Ino had to be a witch and Sai has to be hunter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I writing it, because it is my favourite for Yamanaka Week.


	6. Spotlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 of Yamanaka Week: Cinema

_~*~*~*~  
  
  
"The Painter: Movie premiere_   
_Are Sai and Ino secretly dating?”_

_“We are just friends!” - Sai denies rumours about him and famous model Ino_

_“The Painter” - Wins 5 Oscars_

_“They always went home at the same time”_   
_Makeup artist on the set of “The Painter” unpacks the truth about Sai and his female lead_

_Ino and Sai spotted in a romantic restaurant: When will they announce their engagement?_

_~*~*~*~_

Ino sat in her hotel room of the Four Seasons Hotel and waited for her bridesmaids to finally arrive. She was dressed in a silk bathrobe, her hair and make up done for some time and hoping the rain would stop. She didn’t dare to look further out of the window, because the paparazzi were watching for a glimpse of her.

She fiddled with her engagement ring.

Nervousness is a thing you can get used to a certain degree. Ino had experienced it at the very beginning of her career, still figuring out what the next client wanted to see when she wore their clothes. All her life she had been in the middle of attention, in the spotlight of the media and so it was a piece of cake to handle uneasy feelings, put on a smile and continue doing the job. She could break down afterwards or think about a different strategy for the next time.

She couldn’t go outside without sunglasses and a huge scarf around her neck for quite some time now, at least if she just wanted to run some errands. Ino wouldn't like it otherwise. She had all she needed. It wasn't the money or the status of a VIP. She had loving parents, a hand full of wonderful friends and around noon she was married to the best man in the whole universe.

She was nervous because her wedding day had started with chaos.

Today seemed the only day in weeks it rained. She had cursed the second she woke up and the clouds were hanging at the sky, making her day miserable. Almost a year of planning went down the gutter.

Luckily her wedding planner had sorted everything out within an hour and arranged tents for the wedding reception. Instead of walking knee deep in mud the guests could walk over pathways that were set up now and if everything got worse she had another plan.

Ino couldn't wear her wedding dress the whole day as she had imagined, but would change into a shorter, more tight white dress after the photos. Maybe they still could take them in the rose garden. It should stop raining later. She really hoped so.

She was sitting on her chair in front of the tall mirror in her room and waited for Sakura and Temari to arrive.

She breathed out deeply.

They were just ten minutes late. There was enough time. Maybe she should open the bottle with champagne to calm her nerves.

When the bottle opened with a plop she thought about the day she had first met Sai.

_Her agency had sent her to this audition. She once had voiced the desire to explore acting on a more serious scale and suddenly she got the opportunity faster than expected._

_She had visited acting classes in university and still did ballet to keep herself fit and healthy. So when they wanted her for a role in a movie about a famous painter she thought it would be a good route to slowly turn her back to modeling and focus on new, more exciting things in her life. She didn't need to do this since she had enough money to live until she died, but she wanted to be more than just a pretty face at a magazine._

_It was the third meeting when they wanted to see if she could work with Sai. She should play the female lead as his muse and love-interest. Ino was prepared for everything, but not for his cold, emotionless attitude._

_He was the rising star of film business. Played the lead in three blockbuster movies and he turned out to be such an annoying person. Even his good looks could not blind her._

_"This is Yamanaka Ino," the director introduced her._

_Instead of giving notice he stared at her with a blank expression, giving her this superficial smile she also had in her repertoire. She already hated him._

_"What should we show you?" he asked and turned his face away from her._

_"You decide. Either a fight or the make up scene."_

_Ino would have preferred the first one, since she knew the script of the other scene. It would include him undressing her. She had no problems being naked around others. A lot of photo shoots had been in lingerie or less. But she didn't want to be touched by him. Not after meeting him just seconds ago._

_"The make up scene," Sai said._

_Ino's jaw dropped. This was incredible._

_"Fine. Read the script and we will do it in thirty minutes."_

_Sai just took the script and went away, leaving her behind confused._

_In the end it wasn't as bad as she thought. Their chemistry was so good that the director wanted her to play the role. Ino almost jumped humming happily out of the studio, feeling this was for once the right choice. She could work with Sai if she needed to._

_Her frustration grew when the filming started. Sai never talked with her in their breaks, didn't help her the slightest and let her fight her way through every scene. She could have needed some guidance. A person with more experience._

_Two weeks into filming they had to film the scene when they had met the first time. She was more nervous than before, knowing Sai better. She sat in her room, reading the lines over and over again, trying to remember them, but nothing stuck in her brain._

_Sighing, she decided to search for Sai. He was better at this and they had to film this scene together. She needed advice. She didn't wait until he answered her call and opened the door._

_He sat with his back to her in front of a canvas, a brush in his hand. She wasn't shocked about the fact he painted but it was her image he was drawing. For reference he has a picture of her pinned at the corner._

_"Why are you drawing me?" she asked._

_Sai turned around with a swift motion. Still looking expressionless at her._

_"I am studying," he answered._

_She looked around the room and saw more pictures of her. Sketches and finished paintings in different poses. Some of them undressed._

_This couldn't be real. Sai was a difficult person. He didn't show emotions outside his job. Stumbling into his room and finding pictures of her, pictures he had done, was the last straw. Maybe acting wasn't her profession. It was a mistake. She hadn't thought about creeps like him._

_"I am dropping out," she said. "It's one thing you don't talk to me ever when we're not filming. That you're cold as ice with everyone, with your attitude of a high praised celebrity. But I did not give you permission to do this!"_

_"You can't drop out because of your contract," he answered matter-of-factly._

_"I don't care!" She sounded as hysterical as she felt. "Don't you realise how weird this is? You can't do this!"_

_She raised her arms, making wild gestures to underline her fury._

_"But I didn't do you any harm."_

_“You are an arrogant snob! Who gives you the permission to do everything you want? I hate this so much that every man thinks he can do as he likes because I am just a model.”_

_For the first time he reacted and raised from the chair, with a hurt expression on his face. Ino hadn’t thought he actually could show emotions in private._

_“I thought we are good with each other. You are the first person I really feel comfortable with. I wanted to ask you on a date when we have finished the movie.”_

_“WHAT?!”_

_Did she misinterpret his actions the whole time? Did Sai act this strange because he had a crush on her? She felt dizzy thinking about this. Were all actors this difficult?_

_“It is such a burden to be a famous actor without wanting it. Most people think my talent did fall into my lap, but it was hard work. And then I realised everyone who works with you, just wants to bathe in your spotlight, hopes to get famous because of knowing you.”_

_“So you want to tell me, you are just painting me because you are playing the role of a painter?”_

_He nodded._

_“And you didn’t have second thoughts about it? That I may feel uneasy when I ever find out?”_

_“They should recognize the real me in my acting. I want to do my best.” He said with a fierce voice. “And painting is one of my hobbies. I just thought it would help me to be a better actor. But I will stop painting you if it makes you feel better.”_

_After this incident they started to eat together in their breaks. He kept his promise to take her on a date. Since then everything has worked out on its own._

The door was opened by a breathless Sakura. She carried her dress in one hand and around her shoulder was a large bag. Her hair was so wet the water dripped down.

“I am so sorry, Ino!” she greeted her and put her dress on the clothes rack next to the door. “But Shouta didn’t want to get dressed and the traffic on the Interstate was crazy. But here I am.”

Always with a cheerful smile on her face, her best friend kissed her cheek and slumped on the sofa across her.

“Your hair looks beautiful.”

“Thank you, Sakura.” Ino filled her a glass of champagne but her friend refused.

“I can’t drink today. I don’t want to steal the attention today, but I found out two days ago that I am pregnant.”

Ino screeched and threw her arms around Sakura’s neck. “That’s wonderful news, sweetie! For once you are allowed to drop out of drinking. How did Kankuro react?”

Sakura laughed.

“He was shocked, but he seems happy. He told Temari yesterday.”

“Speaking of Temari...do you know when she and Shikamaru wanted to arrive?”

“I am here,” her other bridesmaid answered from the door. She didn’t look like the rain had affected her at all. Her hair was in perfect waves, dancing around her shoulders and her make up on point like always.

“Shikamaru slept in and almost forgot the wedding rings,” she said and placed herself besides Sakura. “One day he will forget to put on his pants and walk into his office with just his boxers.”

All women laughed because of this image. Ino didn’t know how Shikamaru was able to be a professional lawyer and at the same time be this chaotic. They were childhood friends and he had been the same since. Lazy but a genius so everybody put a blind eye on his flaws. Temari maybe would change that.

Ino handed her a glass of champagne.

“We still have enough time to get a bit tipsy.”

* * *

Sai was grateful for all the help he got with his preparations for the wedding. Chouji had adjusted his tie, while Shikamaru helped him with the jacket. A few sun rays broke through the clouds as they announced he was ready.

Today Naruto couldn’t help him because his wife needed help with their newborn son. He would attend the wedding but had to step down as his best man. Luckily his fiancée’s friends had filled in the gap.

A year ago he didn’t think he would marry the most beautiful and intelligent woman he would ever meet. Their first meeting had been a disaster and he hadn’t been able to show how impressed he was because of her appearance. He just knew he should meet a model, who wanted to try acting. His director had praised her abilities so much, he was dazzled when it was Yamanaka Ino.

Famous model, known for her beauty and her high salary. She was the leading star in the model business, on top of the world and so popular little girls wanted to be like her. He still felt embarrassed how he had treated her that day.

“Are you nervous?” Shikamaru asked and gave him a bottle of beer.

“No,” he answered and clinked his bottles with him and Chouji. “I was never nervous around, Ino.”

_He had looked for a small restaurant for their first date. Something private where nobody would bother them. Most women wanted a fancy, high class restaurant, but she seemed very happy with his decision to choose his favourite Italian establishment._

_They had a lively conversation about show business and the pressure of being famous stars in their fields, about their childhoods and friends, realising they almost met for the first time in school if he hadn’t gone to acting school. She smiled the whole time and he hoped he was the reason._

_Afterwards he had walked her home. She wasn’t living in New York and would leave the following morning for Paris. He didn’t want her to go, but as him, she couldn’t do the things she wanted. Her job was the priority._

_When he said goodbye in the lobby, he wanted to kiss her. For once he felt brave enough and jumped into the elevator before the doors closed._

_In the next second he pressed her into the wall and put his lips on hers._

_She invited him to her hotel room for the night._

A knock on the door announced it was time to go.

“Let’s get you married.”

A lot of tears were shed by the guest when they exchanged their wedding vows. Sai had tried to suppress them but as he kissed his wife for the first time and she was crying of happiness he joined her. He wasn’t ashamed to show emotions in front of her.

Their first dance was accompanied by shouting and applause, and he could have danced with her the whole night, but he understood she wanted to dance with her father. His mother-in-law took the opportunity to dance with him - her son as she called him - and after this their guests joined.

Even if the rain didn’t stop the whole day it was the best day of his life. He hoped they would share a lot more.

He was sipping on his champagne with Ino at his side during a short break and watched how Temari dragged Shikamaru on the dance floor. Ino was laughing because her best friend rolled his eyes. Kankuro was dancing with his wife in a corner of the tent, their son Shouta on his arms, who had fallen asleep.

“Are you happy, Sai?” Ino suddenly and squeezed his hand slightly.

“Since I met you I have always been happy, beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put this Modern AU in the same universe I have created for Temari Week 2020 with the prompt "Fashion Icon". Who is interested here's the link: [Ace Attorney Chapter 6 of Winds, Storms and Hurricanes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866655/chapters/63141445).  
> In this one-shot I wrote how Shikamaru and Temari met.


	7. There Was Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 of Yamanaka Week: Free Day / First Dates 
> 
> Song: Nothing But Thieves - "There Was Sun"

The starry sky was visible over them as he walked Ino home from their date. He had offered her his jacket, she gratefully had accepted. They were walking in silence, Ino looked to the ground and he thought she was smiling.

Sai hoped this was a good sign. She hadn't said a word if she was enjoying his company, but since she didn't run away from him, he may had done a good job with this date. This was new territory and it was awkward to experience all these confusing emotions. If he could put it into words, he would say he was pleased.

Even if he hadn't read this in a book about dates, he would have walked her home it either way, because he didn't want to part from her. Her company made him feel happy and he thought he had shared some real smiles with her, not the fake ones he was used to.

In hindsight it was fun sitting in this restaurant, eating with her, listening to her voice, watching how her eyes sparkled and her cheeks blushed. He had this funny feeling in his chest. It was unfamiliar and nothing that he had ever experienced.

He was still unsure how this date should end.

Naruto had given him some weird advice and he didn't know if he should follow his words.

 _Kiss her_ , he had said. _Girls expect a kiss at the end of their date_.

He had never kissed someone. However, he had prepared himself. The library was his answer for everything. Maybe he should have asked a girl he knew better than Ino. But Sakura had the tendency to punch him if he asked inappropriate questions.

Kisses were a symbol of devotion and fondness. He felt something different from the usual with Ino, and he asked himself if this fluttering in his stomach was a sign that he was falling for her.

She had rescued him from the darkness in his heart. Without Ino he would have stayed in this place of loneliness. She was shining like a sun for him.

They reached the main street were she lived. The flower shop was closed at this hour but somehow he wanted to give her something to remember this evening. He would not forget it, even if she decided he wasn't worth the effort.

It made him sad, that he didn't know what Ino was thinking at this moment. He still was learning to read the body language of people and with his friends he could recognise when they were upset or felt unwell.

This was so complicated. He needed help with this.

_Would Ino punch him if he asked about this strange emotions flooding his body?_

He wanted to do the right thing. She should feel good, smile because of him.

Ino felt the inner turmoil of Sai as they got closer to say goodbye. He was so nervous that he was vibrating. She knew this was new territory for him.

While she had been imagining going on dates with a boy for quite some time now, he must feel so confused and uncomfortable. She had asked Sakura beforehand about Sai. What he liked to talk about and his hobbies. He should not feel embarrassed or ashamed he did something wrong.

During their date she suddenly realised he did the same thing with her. He was prepared and had found this beautiful, little restaurant with a lot of healthy dishes she loved to eat. He had told her he had found it when he came back from a mission and his usual place was so packed with people that he needed an alternative.

When they reached the door of her home, she stopped and looked at him.

His face was expressionless. She saw the tension in his shoulders and his whole body.

“It was a wonderful evening, Sai,” she said, trying to ease his nervousness.

“I hoped so,” he answered and failed to curve his lips into a smile.

This was so incredibly sweet, she could not hold back a giggle. Now he arched his eyebrows bewildered, his fingers were moving in a unsteadily pattern.

Suddenly he grabbed inside his pocket and took out a scroll. With a quick motion of his hands he scribbled something down and seconds later he held a drawn rose in front of her.

“This is for you,” he said.

“Sai,” she whispered, moved by this gesture.

“Don't you like it?”

Instead of an answer she gently put his arms around his neck, pulling him closer, her head resting on his shoulder.

“It's beautiful. I love it.”

Sai was so baffled that Ino hugged him, again, that he first didn't know how to respond. But then instinct took over and he put his arms around her, his stomach doing somersaults. She smelt so unbelievable good. Different scents of flowers mixed with the perfume she was wearing especially for this occasion.

Still he didn't dare to go further. He now really wanted to kiss her.

“I would like to kiss you,” he said with a shy, low voice.

He felt her going stiff in their embrace, but then she chuckled.

“You don't have to ask.”

She let go off him, searching for his hand and squeezed it.

His heart pounded so hard his chest was about to burst. The tiny smile on her lips was an invite for him. With a swift movement of his other hand, he cupped her cheek and leaned down, closing his eyes.

Ino felt his soft lips on hers and time stood still. She hadn't done this before, but she wanted more of this. So she answered his kiss by holding him closer, her hand coming to rest on the back of his head.

When they parted, he took her hand, her palm touching his chest. She could feel his heart flatter. All the nervousness was gone.

His smile was so different and gorgeous. His dark eyes were so tender, only looking at her.

“Can I ask you for a second date?”

She nodded, grinning brightly, her hand brushing the hair out of his face, so she could imprint his face better in her memories.

“A second date sounds nice.”

Then he leaned down again, his lips barely touching before he straightened his back again, their hands still entwined.

“Good night, beautiful.”

She watched him until he turned at the next street corner.

Ino felt so giddy and laughed as she opened the door.

She was looking forward to more kisses and hugs and all the things she wanted to share with Sai. A future she hoped would bring them happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I was so busy and tired yesterday I couldn't upload the last chapter. But here I am. 
> 
> Thanks for everyone participating in Yamanaka Week 2021. I hope you had fun.
> 
> I will now search and read all the stories I couldn't during this busy week. 
> 
> See you next time. 😁


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